Hopkins Topples Amistad to Start Season 1-0

On a gorgeous September afternoon, the Hopkins Hilltoppers kicked off their season against a local opponent, the Amistad Academy Wolves. This was the second straight contest for the Hilltoppers against the Wolves, after a finishing the 2018 season with a 34-14 victory, and similar to the previous contest Hopkins would prove victorious to the score of 47-24.

Hopkins started the contest on offense and got to work quickly. On the game’s second play, Peason Hill ’23 took a handoff from Phil DeLise ’20 and scampered 50 yards before being push out of bounds by a Wolves defender. Hopkins would go back to Hill on the next carry for a TD, and a Michael Lau ’20 extra point made the score 7-0. On the next defensive series, Hopkins had a hard time corralling the Wolves’ quarterback who would scamper into the endzone from 20 yards out to make it 7-6. After a stalled second offensive series, the Hilltoppers quickly took the ball back from the Wolves on a Phil DeLise interception to set the ball up deep in Amistad’s territory. Two plays later, Hopkins would punch it in the endzone on a Phil DeLise scramble to set the scoring at 14-6. On the Wolves next offensive possession, they started to put together a drive but ultimately turned the ball back to the Hilltoppers on a bad shotgun snap and recovery by Charlie Wich ’22 (who also had a sack on the day). After another nifty play on a catch and run by Pearson Hill, the Hilltoppers connected on a 5-yard fade from DeLise to Lau to set the score at 21-6. The Wolves bad luck continued on their next offensive snap, which saw a missed handoff result in a Gunnar DeSantis ’20 fumble recovery at Amistad’s 16 yard line. On the ensuing play, DeLise hit Lau again for the score to make it 28-6. The Wolves would put another touchdown on the board just before the half to set the scoring at 28-12.

As the second half kicked off, the Hilltoppers were determined to build on their strong start and got the ball back on offense after a short 4 play Wolves series. Hopkins drove down the field and saw Phil DeLise scramble left to connect with Pearson Hill from 5 yards out to set the score at 35-12. On their next drive, the Wolves would find an answer in the form of a 64 yard bubble screen and run to make it 35-18 and pulling closer. This is the closest Amistad would make it in the second half, which saw Hopkins punch in for two more touchdown runs by John Stanley ’21 and Matt Diaz ’23 to set the score at 47-18, before a late Wolves touchdown would cement the game at 47-24.

To view highlights from the game, please click HERE

This was a strong start to the season for the Hilltopper offense, which scored their most points in a game since the 2010 season. Hopkins will need another such performance as they travel down to Brooklyn on Friday, September 20^th to take on division rival Poly Prep (0-1) for a 7pm night game. The Hilltoppers hope to flip the script of their previous matchup, which saw Poly Prep erase a 16-point deficit and beat Hopkins in dramatic fashion in overtime. We hope to see many of our friends and family there supporting loud and proud!